Expansion Team Works for Diddy

New York, NY (November 17, 2008)--Expansion Team and composer Michael Picton created the theme music for VH1's newest reality show, I Want to Work for Diddy, in which contestants compete for the dream job of personal assistant to the music/fashion impresario.

New York, NY (November 17, 2008)--Expansion Team and composer Michael Picton created the theme music for VH1's newest reality show, I Want to Work for Diddy, in which contestants compete for the dream job of personal assistant to the music/fashion impresario.

"We came up with several musical ideas that we presented to Diddy and VH1, some that were more contemporary sounding, some more hip-hop oriented," Alex Moulton, Expansion Team's creative director noted, "but Diddy immediately latched on to this one. The hardest part for us was to reference that retro spy sound, something people have heard before, but give its own special quality so that it felt new and exciting."

That challenge fell to Picton who composed a theme that captured the spy genre, but in a 'Diddy' kind of way.

Visually the show opening features silhouettes of executive assistants doing everything from jumping off moving boats to running up stairs that crumble under their feet, as well as shots of Diddy living large on his yacht or Lear jet.

Musically, Picton's score incorporates instrumentation such as an orchestral flute, xylophone, timpani and a bold brass arrangement that is instantly recognizable to the spy 'sound,' but married to elements of contemporary hip-hop and R&B, especially ones found in Diddy's own musical productions, such as a complex drum loops with distinct high-hat patterns and plush bass sound.

"Diddy sent us about 20 different reference tracks, some of his own music, some of other artists, some from classic movie soundtracks and even some classic James Bond songs from the '60s and early '70s, so we had a good idea of what he was looking for," Picton said. "The challenge was to take all that come up with something original and memorable."